BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards". Broadcast Music, Inc. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022 . Retrieved February 8, 2022. Disney is known as a company that spends careful attention crafting stories that are culturally sensitive, inclusive, and celebrative, something that has roots in the conceptualization and construction process behind the Animal Kingdom park. Part of the company’s faithfulness to cultural representation (not appropriation) comes from their research trips to their “target countries.” For Raya and the Last Dragon, crew members traveled to the Southeast Asian countries of Laos, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, and Malaysia to learn about Southeast Asia in a more personal manner so the movie could feel genuine and grounded to their real-life traditional practices. Producer Osnat Shurer mentions in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the “community that [directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada] encountered, the sense of 'we,' the importance of 'we' over 'I,' was so deep and so complete,” that it inspired the story of Kumandra and the idea of unifying all Southeast Asian countries and cultural practices into one state, which when separated into clans, shares bits and pieces from all real-life countries. Moreover, like Moana’s Oceanic Trust of scholarly advisors of Polynesian traditions, producers created the Southeast Asia Story Trust to keep all the film’s cultural representations accurate and respectful, defined by Shurer in an interview with IGN as “a coalition of specialists in various fields, including visual anthropology, linguistics, botany, choreography, architecture, martial artists, and others.” Focusing on her fashion, audiences are presented to her in her clan outfit that features aquatic greens and blues to symbolize water’s importance as a symbol of life and purity, and the water dragons, deities inspired by the Naga serpents of various Asian folktales. Every single clan wears different colors as representations of their identities, from Talon’s purples and pinks to Fang’s whites, reds, and beige, but I believe Heart’s colors are more significant to the story. But after the Druuns take over the Heart clan, part of Raya’s identity and positive outlook in life disappear, and thus, as production designer Paul Felix mentions to The Hollywood Reporter, “she wanted to be incognito, so we took the palette away, but gave more subtle allusions.” Audiences can perceive those allusions on her salakót bolero hat, which has a stupa-shaped base (a Buddhist celebratory mound-like spherical structure housing sacred relics) and a curved top designed to resemble a teardrop, a clear representation of her connection with water. Li, Shirley (March 6, 2021). "The Flawed Fantasy World of 'Raya and the Last Dragon' ". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021 . Retrieved October 21, 2023.

Fear, David (March 4, 2021). " 'Raya and the Last Dragon' Is Disney Princess Empowerment as a Pan-Asian Pop Mash-Up". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023 . Retrieved October 21, 2023. Alexander, Bryan (March 2, 2021). " 'We got a tent in the living room!' How Awkwafina recorded her 'Last Dragon' during the pandemic". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021 . Retrieved June 8, 2021. a b Wulan, Sri Wulan (August 4, 2021). "Development of the Trust Issue in the Movie Raya and the Last Dragon". International Journal of English and Applied Linguistics (IJEAL). 1 (2): 69–80. doi: 10.47709/ijeal.v1i2.1042. ISSN 2797-9482. S2CID 238781504. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023 . Retrieved October 14, 2023. Giardina, Carolyn (January 25, 2022). " Dune, West Side Story Among Cinema Audio Society's Sound Mixing Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022 . Retrieved October 11, 2023. Sun, Rebecca (March 3, 2021). "The Resurrection of Kelly Marie Tran: On Surviving 'Star Wars' Bullying, the Pressures of Representation, and 'Raya and the Last Dragon' ". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021 . Retrieved June 8, 2021.

Clothing & Costumes

Nirwana, Nirwana (June 5, 2023). "The Cultural Identity of Nusantara in a Movie "Raya and the Last Dragon" ". Journal of English Language and Culture. 13 (2). doi: 10.30813/jelc.v13i2.3742. ISSN 2597-8896. S2CID 263636457. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023 . Retrieved October 16, 2023.

Sisu and the fellow dragons are inspired by the naga, mythical beings who can manifest as serpents or humans and are associated with water. [36] They explored many silhouettes and attitudes of Sisu, ranging from ethereal and magical to ferocious and skeptical. Specific design elements in her dragon form were intentionally retained in her human attire to create a cohesive and recognizable character design. [37]Kelly Marie Tran as Raya, [1] a fierce and virtuous warrior princess of Heart who has been training to become a Guardian of the Dragon Gem. To save her father from petrification and restore peace to Kumandra, she embarks on a search for the last dragon. [2] a b c Duralde, Alonso (March 1, 2021). " 'Raya and the Last Dragon' Film Review: Disney Animated Epic Offers a Dynamic, Complex Saga". TheWrap. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023 . Retrieved October 20, 2023. Young adventurers will be ever-ready for epic quests with this Raya Costume set. Inspired by Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon, the five-piece set captures all of the details from the film. Bryant, Marc; DeYoung, Ryan; Huang, Wei-Feng Wayne; Longson, Joe; Villegas, Noel (August 6, 2021). "The Atmosphere of Raya and the Last Dragon". ACM SIGGRAPH 2021 Talks. Siggraph '21. New York, NY, USA: Association for Computing Machinery. pp.1–2. doi: 10.1145/3450623.3464676. ISBN 978-1-4503-8373-8. S2CID 236936958.

Izaac Wang as Boun, [5] a charismatic 10-year-old entrepreneur from Tail who lost his family to the Druun. [6] Raya and the Last Dragon‘s creation of a Southeast Asian-inspired fictional world 500 years since the presumed death of the last dragon isn’t without its issues, but, generally, it represents a bold new step for Disney animation when it comes to setting and authentic cultural inspiration. Most Disney Princesses have hailed from Eurocentric stories and origins, but, with Southeast Asian Raya and Polynesian “Princess” Moana before her, Disney finally seems to be recognizing the wide world of real-life cultures from which they can (responsibly) draw. While this can be and is a slippery slope as Disney has a history of cultural appropriation and misappropriation, it is a generally positive trajectory and good news both for kids and adults who have never before seen characters who look like them in the “Disney Princess” world and for anyone who is hungry for new kinds of stories. Where Does Raya and the Last Dragon Take Place? Belfast Finds Everlasting Love with WAFCA Critics" (PDF). Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. December 6, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 6, 2021 . Retrieved October 11, 2023. Others critiqued the film's Southeast Asian inspiration elements. Sutantos said the film's mix of cultural elements from various Southeast Asian countries misrepresents the individual philosophical meaning behind each element. [80] According to Nirwana, Raya possesses qualities including bravery, honesty, loyalty, and an appreciation of cultural diversity which was highly valued in Indonesian culture. These include collaboration to achieve a common goal and the portrayal of spiritual activities that align with the values commonly practiced throughout Southeast Asia. [81] Rosella et al. observed that the film's portrayal of multiculturalism was conveyed through the diverse depiction of Southeast Asian cuisines and practices. This unity and togetherness between the tribes showcase the diversity of Southeast Asia cultures. [82] As is customary in these cultures, Raya and the Last Dragon also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a harmonious relationship with nature. Kumandra was constructed as a metaphor for environmental harmony, and it is portrayed as an ideal and heavenly life where everything coexists in harmony. Benja strives to restore this environmental harmony after the tribes are divided due to greed, hatred, and the Dragon Gems. As such, Wulan et al. said it advocates for environmental unity and sustainability. [83] Reception [ edit ] Box office [ edit ] Thomas, Millicent (August 28, 2020). "Disney changes Raya and the Last Dragon directors, writer, and leading actress". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020 . Retrieved July 6, 2021.Awkwafina as Sisu, [3] the last dragon in existence. She has a ludicrous and somewhat unstable personality, but she is also brave, kind, and wise. [4]